First Date
by coolpriss
Summary: *ch 5 up!* Akagi did something really bad. Twice. Guilt-ridden, he forced the whole team to make sure everything's fine, much to the frustration of both Ayako and Miyagi. Please R&R!!
1. And So It Began

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First Date

By coolpriss

A/N: I left this fic hanging on its third chapter. Since it's my summer vacation, I decided to complete all my unfinished fics. When I re-read this I remembered why I never got on the third chap: it didn't really have any plot (and the original two chaps simply sucked!). Now that it does have a plot, I revised the other two chaps and finally did the third. Hope you like it! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk and its characters are mine, all mine!! *minna glares at cp* In my dreams, I mean! *cp sighs with both hands in the air* **Only** in my dreams…

Dedication: For those who read and reviewed the original version, thank you very much! I hope you like this re-written one!

A/N P.S.: BTW, their thoughts are in _Italics_. Please don't forget to review! ^.^

****

Chapter 1: And So It Began…

"YATTA!!"

The sudden screech from a red-faced, heart-eyed chibi Ryota Miyagi attracted more than the usual glares as it echoed all through out the quiet neighborhood. He was jumping up and down excitedly. The people who stopped to discern the owner of the scandalous noise wondered whether they should call the police or the mental hospital. But one look at the utterly embarrassed girl beside him just made them smile consolingly and walk away thinking: _Poor girl…_

The ecstatic point guard, however, never really noticed anything around him except for the curly haired manageress. _She came! She really came! It's my chance!! I always knew she liked me too! This is going to be the best day of my entire life! It's my dream come true! Nyahahaha!_

"Miyagi Ryota, stop jumping!" Ayako rested her face on the palm of her right hand and sighed defeatedly. _How the hell did I get into this mess?!_

"Hai, Aya-chan!" chibi Miyagi replied, staring dreamily at the dark-eyed girl. _At last…Aya-chan and me…together…alone…on a date…_ Tears were cascading down his blushing cheeks like waterfalls. 

Ayako groaned. She picked up the crying chibi and dragged him away from the basketball court where they agreed to meet. _This is the main reason why I didn't want to go out with him in the first place!_ "C'mon, Ryota, let's get going!"

"Hai, Aya-chan!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was another peaceful day in Kanagawa. There were seagulls flying gracefully near the shore. The steady chatter of people on the streets was typical for a beautiful Saturday morning. A light, sweet scent filled the air. But behind the bushes of a local park, a pair of glasses reflected the bright sun. Next to him was a tall, dark and…nevermind…senior student whose eyes were darting around the park, hidden behind a very effective camouflage: a tree.

"Tell me again why we're doing this, Akagi," Kogure asked, scratching his arms and back. He moved to stretch his legs, which fell asleep for the third time already. Their usually unruffled captain charged into his house early that morning, waking him up with such a vigorous shake that it took a couple more minutes for him to realize what happened, and then demanded that the team have an emergency meeting. It was only six a.m. then but the unstoppable Akagi managed to get even the unwakable Rukawa awake, well, at least for five or so seconds. The vice-captain yawned as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming about that morning.

"Because I'm the one responsible for this date," Akagi replied, not even moving a muscle on his face. "Stop moving, here they come."

The two were eating ice cream. They stopped and sat on the bench directly in front of Akagi's tree.

"I didn't know you liked marine animals too, Ryota," Ayako was saying, giving Miyagi a quizzical look.

"Are you kidding? I love _The Aqaurium_, with all its fishes and…and stuff... Nyahahahahahaha!" Miyagi threw his head back and laughed. _All my daydreaming finally paid off!_ Then he stopped suddenly and blinked, his head still up side down. He was staring at Akagi right in the face.

"It's not only fishes and stuff. They have the most beautiful corals I have ever seen! They also have all sorts of crabs and turtles and starfishes and this really large octopus. And the fishes! I think they have the widest display of tropical fishes in the whole Japan. I had no idea fishes could be that beautiful! They have this baby Orca that they saved last month…" Ayako continued to chatter and eat her 3-scooped ice cream, not even looking at Miyagi.

"I didn't know they display Gorillas in this park," the boy murmured not hearing a single word Ayako was saying. He stood up and leaned close to the sweatdropping Akagi. He pinched his captain's nose, stretched his cheeks and knocked on his head. Three crosses formed on the senior's reddening face. Kogure was having a hard time holding Akagi back. 

"And it feels very real too…" Miyagi was looking at the sky while poking at the gorilla's--I mean Akagi's--nostrils and didn't notice the latter trying to bite his finger like a hungry piranha. "Somehow, this Gorilla reminds me of something…" he continued to mumble, sitting down beside the still-gabbing Ayako. Suddenly, he turned to stone. 

"Hn?" Ayako finally stopped talking and turned her attention to Miyagi as she finished her ice cream cone. "Nani yo?"

__

Sou na…Gori…A chill ran down his spine.

"Eh? Ryota? Nanda?" Ayako's palm was waving in front of his face. 

"Eh? Nyahahahahahaha! Be-betsuni! Iku, iku! Let's go to _The Aquarium_! Nyahahahahahaha!" Miyagi grabbed Ayako's hand and raced out of the park. _Iie, Akagi-Captain wouldn't do anything like that…would he?_

He sneaked a look back but didn't see the gorilla again. He shuddered. 

__

Scary…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: It's still kind of short but hopefully the third chap would provide more info…so on to the next chap, ne? @_@ Please don't forget to review!


	2. At The Aquarium

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First Date

By coolpriss

A/N: _The Aquarium_ is the name of the place. Their thoughts are still in _Italics_, and so are the scientific names of the fishes. I think you could distinguish one from the other. ^_^

Disclaimer: Nope, SD's not mine…

****

Chapter 2: At _The Aquarium_

"Ah! Look at that fish! Kawaii!" Ayako pointed at one of the tanks. "I just love it here. It's so relaxing and these animals are so cute," she smiled, watching the smooth and elegant glide of a huge yellow-and-dark-green-striped angelfish.

Miyagi stretched and yawned behind her. _These fishes all look the same to me…_ Then his eyes turned to hearts again. _But Aya-chan seems to like them…Aya-chan's really cute…she looks so calm and peaceful here…she's so beautiful…_

"Aya-chan!" Chibi Ryota sighed dreamily. Then he straightened up, his eyes gleaming brightly like the small stone on his left ear. _If Aya-chan likes fishes, then I like them too!_ He nodded, his face full of determination. He pushed his nose on one of the tanks marked 'Siamese fighting fish, _Betta splendens_' and gazed inside. 

A huge, woobly face of Rukawa filled his view. 

"WAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!" Miyagi screamed, running backwards. He shut his eyes and hid his face behind Ayako.

"Ryota, nani yo?" Ayako started to ask, then her eyelids dropped. "Ryota. Hanase."

Miyagi opened his eyes and found his arms around Ayako's shoulders in the middle of the Aquarium with people staring at them. He released Ayako and laughed shakily. Then his eyes became hearts again. 

__

I did it! I hugged Aya-chan! I'm never EVER taking a bath again! "Nyahahaha!"

"Miyagi Ryota!" A paper fan appeared out of nowhere and slammed directly on Ryota's curly head. A huge cross was on Ayako's head.

Miyagi stopped laughing and with tears flowing down his face, turned to Ayako. Then his eyes went wide. His finger kept stabbing the air, pointing on the tank behind Ayako. 

"Ru…Ru…Ru…" he stammered. His eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and disbelief.

"Eh?" Ayako blinked and looked behind her. A huge fish with dark spots on its brown scales, circular body and has both eyes on one side swam to her vision. 

"It's just a fish, Ryota," she told him, exasperated. "A 'Turbot, _Scophthalmus maximus_' to be exact." 

Miyagi blinked. Rukawa's face was gone. He stared at the ugly fish and gave a huge sigh of relief.

__

Well maybe it was just a... a fox…or something… A picture of chibi Rukawa with fox ears and whiskers appeared out of nowhere. _This is an Aquarium anyways and foxes like fishes, right…_ A fish passed by chibi Rukawa and his paws caught it. He grinned, stuffed the fish inside his mouth, then howled. 

"Nyahahahaha!" Miyagi laughed, scratching the back of his head. People started moving as far away from them as possible.

Ayako sweatdropped. She grabed Miyagi's collar and dragged him out. "This is very embarassing. Iku zo, Ryota!"

A tall, pale, dark-haired, sweatdropping boy stepped from behind the tank. He followed the two with his intense blue eyes. He took out a small, walkie-talkie from his duffel bag and muttered into it.

"They're out."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: And on to the third chap == ^_~


	3. Before The Movie

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First Date

By coolpriss

Disclaimer: They ain't mine.

A/N: Thoughts are in _Italics_.

****

Chapter 3: Before the Movie

Ayako looked at her wristwatch. Ten-oh-five. _This is going to be a very long day…_ She turned to the boy beside her. "It's still early. Where do you want to go next?"

"How about a movie?" Miyagi suggested. A silly grin crept on his face as a dream bubble suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

*chibi dream sequence* It is dark inside. Ayako is sitting beside him. The film is at its scariest scene. Suddenly, Ayako screams and buries her head in his chest. _Daijobou, Aya-chan…_ he whispers in her ear. Ayako looks up and stares in his eyes. He leans down for his kiss…

"Iie," Ayako stated firmly, inching slowly away from Miyagi who was puckering up his lips for his imaginary kiss. "Definitely not."

Miyagi, who was still lost in his chibi dream, opened his eyes halfway only to see Akagi's gorilla-face slowly turn into Rukawa's fox-face, instead of his Aya-chan leaning up to kiss him. The dream bubble popped instantly as his scream filled the entire busy street. 

"IIIIYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He rubbed his lips forcefully with the sleeve of his short-sleeved, dark blue polo shirt (It was his first date with his beloved Aya-chan, and he was dressed to impress! There was no way he'd be wearing his usual plain white T-shirt to this date! Er, actually, he's wearing the white T-shirt inside the blue polo… ^^;), trying desperately to scrape off any residue of that horrible dream kiss. He looked around for Ayako but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, almost everyone on the street was staring at him as of he had gone crazy.

"Eh…he…he…" he laughed nervously, his eyes looking frantically for Ayako. _She didn't ditch me, did she? Baka! I'm such an idiot! Aya-chan…please don't leave me…Aya-chan…_

"Aya-chan!" he cried as he spotted the manageress a few feet away. Obviously, she had tried to run away but something else caught her attention. Her back was on him and she looked like she was watching someone from the other side of the street. "Aya-chan!" Miyagi called out as he ran immediately to her side.

"Ssh! Urusai, Ryota!" she frowned at him, gesturing for him to be silent. She looked back at the opposite street, then she pulled Miyagi under the cover of a large Sakura tree. 

"Anou, Aya-chan…" Miyagi started but Ayako quieted him with another mysterious "Ssh!"

They both peered from behind the tree as the people on the other street finally crossed. Then Miyagi recognized one of them. _Mitsui?! Why is Aya-chan spying on **Mitsui** on our date? Could it be…_ Tears started forming in the corners of his eyes. _Aya-chan…_

Mitsui ran a few feet then stopped and looked around. He went back and tried to look into several shops, as if trying to find someone. He stopped several feet from where Ayako and Miyagi were hiding and took out a walkie-talkie. His eyes were still searching all over the place as he talked on the device.

"I can't hear him…" Ayako muttered as she crept slowly around tree, trying to stay hidden and catch whatever Mitsui was saying at the same time. Her ears grew thrice its size as she frenetically strained to hear Mitsui's voice.

"…I don't know," Mitsui was saying. "They just disappeared. Listen, Akagi, I have other things to do…"

The bluish-black-haired boy did not have the opportunity to finish his sentence as the person on the other line shouted: "YOU CAN'T LOOSE THEM, MITSUI! YOU HAVE TO FIND THEM! WHERE ARE YOU?! I'M GOING RIGHT THERE! FIND THEM, MITSUI! FIND THEM!!!"

"Te me, Akagi! You don't have the right to boss me around!" Mitsui scratched his head furiously as he lowered the volume of the walkie-talkie. "Alright! Alright! I'll find them! They probably headed for the movie house or something. I'll contact you once I find them." He turned off the receiver and shook it severely, as if it was Akagi. "You owe me big time for this, Akagi. Big time!" Mitusi fumed as he returned the communication device in his bag. He was frowning impatiently while stomping his way to the theater.

Ayako was just as furious. She finally stepped away from the tree, shaking her fists at the departing figure of Mitsui. 

"Unberibaburya!" she exclaimed, mimicking the famous Hikoichi line unconsciously. "First, they threaten me, saying I would lose my job as a manageress and spread embarrassing pictures of me all over the school if I didn't go out with Ryota! They probably got those from **_him_** no less! And now! Now they're **_spying_** on me?! The nerve! After all I did for them! I give them my all-out support, even spending the whole evening writing that calligraphy note to inspire them to do their best--I couldn't move my right arm after that!--and this! This is how they repay me! By **_threatening_** me of my job and then **_spying_** on me?!" Smoke could be seen coming from her nose, ears and even her rubber shoes as she paced on the sidewalk. 

But her rants fell on deaf ears as Miyagi was wallowing in his own woes.

"All these time…Aya-chan has been secretly in love with Mitsui…how could I be so blind? Nande, Aya-chan, **_nande_**? What do you see in that scar-faced ex-gangster?! What does he have that I don't?! True, he's taller, but it's only a matter of inches! I could catch up with his height easily…with a pair of platform shoes… Well, sure, he's got bigger muscles, but that's because he had been doing nothing but beating people up for two years! At least I've got all **_my_** teeth intact! Ha!"

"They want to have fun at my expense? Fine! I'll give them fun! They're probably laughing their heads off with all my embarrassments! Well, we'll see who'll get the final laugh! I'll show them! Iku, Ryota. We'll show them all!" Ayako turned sharply to face Miyagi who was by now laughing hysterically with waterfall tears streaming down his cheeks. "Ah-re??"

"That's right! It was because of me! He wouldn't have scored that much if I didn't pass him the ball! He owes everything to me! And this is how he repays me?! By stealing the only love of my life?! I'll show him! He will never get my Aya-chan! Never! Over my dead body! Nyahahaha!"

One slam of Ayako's paper fan finally snapped Miyagi back to reality. "What the hell are you talking about, Ryota no baka yo?! Nobody's going to steal me from you. I'm never yours the first place! Come on, let's watch that movie of yours." Ayako took Miyagi firmly by the hand and looked around. "I know a short cut to the cinemas. We'll get there before the **_spy_** does. Nyahahahaha!" the girl grinned, her brown eyes twinkling slyly.

"You heard that, Mitsui?! She said it herself! Nobody's gonna steal her away from me! Nyahahahaha!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review! Onegai! Arigatou! *_*


	4. Inside the Movies

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First Date

By coolpriss

A/N: Thoughts are in _Italics._ Please, please review!! T_T

Disclaimer: Not mine. SD: no. All the other movies mentioned in this chap: no. The plant is mine, though. ^^;

****

Chapter 4: Inside the Movies

"Akagi, can you hear me?" Mitsui whispered to his transceiver. He was hiding behind an indoor plant, watching the curly haired couple argue over which film to watch. "I found them. They're here at the movies."

"YATTA!" 

Mitsui almost dropped the small radio with Akagi's ear-splitting reply. He caught the walkie-talkie, turned the volume as low as possible and remained absolutely still, his blue eyes instantly went back to the sweatdropping couple who, without his knowledge, had their eyes on him too. Convinced that he was still unnoticed, he sighed with relief and adjusted the volume of the receiver. Akagi was now screaming his name.

"MITSUI! DOUSHITA NO?! MITSUI! MITSUI!"

"Urusai, Akagi! You're blowing my cover!" Mitsui hissed. He noticed two kids watching him with fear in their eyes. He tried to ease them with a smile but the two just widened their eyes, looked at each other then ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Mitsui couldn't help sweatdropping. He turned his attention back to his preys. An outline of Ayako and Miyagi was blinking wildly where they had been standing previously. But the two was now nowhere to be seen. Mitsui rubbed his eyes but the flashing outline was still there. He dashed out of his hiding place and rushed to the exact spot the two had been earlier. 

"Shimatta! I can't believe I lost them again!" he muttered furiously. His head swung in all directions desperately trying to catch either Ayako's white sleeveless blouse or Miyagi's dark blue polo. Unfortunately, there were white and blue shirts everywhere.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"He's here," a girl with soft curly brown hair whispered with a sly grin. "Iku, Ryota," she told the half-laughing, half-crying, still-panting boy beside her. The two stepped out from the potted plant they had been hiding and walked casually near the movie posters. 

"So, what do you want to watch, Ryota?" Ayako asked, rather loudly. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched a certain bluish-black haired boy spot them then crouch behind the very same plant they had been hiding in earlier. 

"Anything you want, Aya-chan," Miyagi wiped his tears with his arms. A determined look filled his face. _Mitsui's never gonna see me cry…he hasn't won yet…I can't believe Aya-chan's using me to make Mitsui jealous! Well, if Aya-chan wants him jealous, I'll make him jealous! This is probably the closest thing I've got to dating Aya-chan and I'm not gonna waste it because of him!_

"Eeh? What kind of answer was that?" Ayako argued loudly. She watched Mitsui through the glass on the bulletin board as he took out his pocket radio. "I was asking what **_you_** want. Hn, how about…" she glanced at the poster in front of her. "_'Anger Management'_?"

A picture of chibi Ayako fuming mad and striking everyone with her paper fan suddenly popped out of nowhere. 

"E…tou…" Miyagi grinned sheepishly, his hand scratching the back of his head. 

Ayako's left eyebrow was going up and down shakily. "Nani? I don't need anger management! Do you think I need anger management?!" she turned sharply at Miyagi, instantly growing ten times bigger with her eyes covered by a dark mist and her figure surrounded by hungry flames.

Miyagi's sheepish grin grew wider, now turning to a grin of fear. (Ehehe…more of the insanity working…^^;;) He took a step back and gulped. "Well…we don't have to watch it if you don't want to…" He looked for another movie. "How about…_'What A Girl Wants'_?"

A picture of Miyagi taking down notes while watching the film, then pestering Ayako with all of his new ideas the next day appeared all of a sudden. 

"I don't think so." Ayako glanced at Mitsui's reflection. He was holding the transceiver near his face when suddenly, he almost threw it in the air. The two sweatdropped when they heard Akagi's unmistakable voice. They saw Mitsui catch the walkie-talkie then slowly turn his head toward them.

Ayako thought quickly. She looked around for other movie posters. "_'The Recruit'_…Spy versus spy…" Her shrewd grin was back. "Perfect. We're watching this one, Ryota."

A dream bubble appeared with Ayako taking down notes during the film, then trying her new moves to kick her spies' butts. 

Another dream bubble materialized beside Ayako's. It has Miyagi as the lead character with Ayako as his leading lady. He was supposed to charm Ayako to gather information for the government. Then without warning, the two of them switched heads. Now, it was Ayako who was using him with Akagi, Mitsui and Rukawa behind her. The three were laughing. 

"Ryota!" Ayako brought him back by slamming her paper fan straight to his head. 

Miyagi shook his head strenuously, trying to erase the laughter still ringing in his ears. _What was that all about?! _Then he gently massaged the part where Ayako's fan hit him. "Doushita, Aya-chan…"

"Pay the tickets, Ryota."

He looked at the sweatdropping girl inside the ticket booth. "Ah, hai, hai."

"Haah!" Ayako suddenly gasped. "I forgot the **_spy_**!"

"Eh? Nanda kore?" Miyagi took the tickets and his change and followed Ayako who was looking for Mitsui.

The manageress stopped when she saw Mitsui now out of the plant's cover. "There he is. Now all we have to do is get his attention," she mumbled.

Tears were forming behind Miyagi's eyes again. _Sou ka…Aya-chan even has a pet name for Mitsui…**spy**…it sounds really cool…I…I can't take this anymore…_ "AYA-CHAN…." Miyagi bawled like a baby, his tears mixing with the fluid coming out of his flaring nostrils and cascading down his chin.

Ayako turned to stone. Blue vertical lines could be seen on the sides of her dot eyes. _I said get the **spy**'s attention, not the whole world's! _ "Miyagi Ryota, what the hell are you doing?!" she hissed, looking around for a sign that Mitsui spotted them without looking directly at him. Instead, she noticed two large security guards headed their way. _Na..NANI?!_ She grabbed the sobbing Miyagi and rushed to the nearest cinema. She shoved their tickets to the ticket collector and disappeared inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A huge sweatdrop was on his head when Mitsui finally saw the two. The Shohoku point guard was wailing his heart out while their manageress was frantically looking around, probably to find the nearest exit. 

__

They're embarrassing! I knew from the start that this wasn't a good idea! I didn't think Akagi would really do this! He's embarrassed the whole team by allowing this date to happen!

"Ne, isn't that a player from Shohoku?"

Mitsui's eyes darted towards the owner of the voice. It was a girl talking to a boy. 

"Aa. Number seven. Their point guard," the boy replied. Then he caught Mitsui's eyes. "Hey, you're from Shohoku too, right?"

"Aah! Iya! I don't know them! I haven't seen them before in my entire life!" Mitsui waved his hands in front of him. He glanced at the fleeting figure of Ayako and Miyagi before turning around and walking rapidly away. 

He took the radio out and grumbled, his face red with distress, "That's it, Akagi! I am NOT gonna stand and watch the two of them embarrass our team! Over and OUT!" He turned the thing off before Akagi had the chance to react. Without even looking, Mitsui threw the receiver to the trashcan several feet away from him. It went in. With a last angry huff, he pushed the revolving doors and was out. 

The boy and girl looked at each other. 

"I think that's Mitsui Hisashi. Shohoku's three-pointer."

"That Shohoku team's really weird, ne? I thought it was only their captain and the crazy redhead but now…I think the whole team's cracked!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was dark inside. Ayako dragged Miyagi into one of the rows. 

"Aya-chan…" Miyagi hiccuped, his eyes now just a couple of swirls on his face.

Ayako sighed. _Why does this have to happen to me?!_

She looked up on the big screen. The opening credits were rolling. The title finally appeared, its huge, bold letters immediately engraved in her eyes. 

**__**

'How to Loose a Guy in Ten Days.' 

A smile slowly formed in her lips. "Maybe this isn't so bad after all…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Please R&R!!!!


	5. Akagi's Dilemma

****

First Date

By coolpriss

A/N: Thoughts are in _Italics._ Please, please review!! T_T

Disclaimer: Not mine. 

****

Chapter 5: Akagi's Dilemma

He was seated on his favorite carrel near the window where people seldom pass. He's got everything he needed. His books were neatly arranged across his desk. Three freshly sharpened pencils lay next to his Physics book. There were seven more in his bag, just in case. His notebook was opened to a blank page, ready for his calculations and trial problems. 

But there was another item on his table that does not quite belong to the group. A small, black walkie-talkie was right on top of his Chemistry book. Akagi had been staring at it ever since he placed it down.

The library was almost empty at the moment and it was the perfect time to study. And Akagi needed to study. Unfortunately, his mind was not cooperating. 

__

Where could they be? How could Mitsui have lost them?! What if Miyagi bumped into one of those gangsters again? What if my dream was right? What if Ayako was right? If something bad happens to them it's gonna be all my fault…

Akagi blinked with a start. He closed his eyes, his frown deepening. He gritted his teeth as he remembered what happened a week before.

__

No, this isn't the least bit my fault…

// flashback // 

"AYA-CHAN!"

Miyagi's whine reached almost every corner of the school. It was followed by the sound of the famous paper fan getting in contact with one of its usual customers. Akagi just shook his head and went back reading his Chemistry textbook.

"Somebody ought to snap that Miyagi out of it," Mitsui sighed, leaning against the door of Akagi's classroom. "It's really starting to embarrass me. And the team. If Ayako doesn't want to date him, then find another girl. It's that simple."

"He tried," another voice piped in. Akagi and Mitsui turned to see Sakuragi with tears brimming in his eyes. "But it didn't work. They saw that the one girl Ryocchin really loves is Ayako and they all dumped him. He's been through the hell of being dumped yet he still remains faithful to his one true love… He's a brave man…" Sakuragi sniffled, tears streaming down his face.

Mitsui snorted. "Brave man? He's nothing but an idiot if you ask me. Get lost, Sakuragi. This is our floor. Go back to the Freshmen's level."

"I can go wherever I want, Mitchy!"

Akagi had been reading the same line in his book for the umpteenth time. Finally, he heaved his breath. "Urusai yo! Can't you see I'm doing something?"

"It's lunch, Akagi. Don't you have anything better to do other than study…" Mitsui squinted at the book Akagi was holding. "Chemistry?! Sheesh, Akagi, you really need to get a life."

"This IS my life and if you don't get out of it soon you won't have one yourselves! I'll bet you anything you're gonna flunk the Chemistry test today and I'll have to beg for your make-ups again!"

"Did we just hear a bet?" The Sakuragi guntai suddenly appeared out of nowhere. All four of them were wearing silly bow-tie suits looking exactly like those men in casinos. "How much are we betting for?"

A huge red cross was on Akagi's head. "There are no bets--"

"They're not betting for money!" Sakuragi cut Akagi short. He grinned mischievously. "Gori's not **_that _**low!"

Akagi looked suspiciously at the redhead. "What do you mean I'm--"

"If Mitchy gets a higher score in their test today, Gori's gonna get Ayako to go out with Ryocchin!" the self-proclaimed tensai announced exuberantly.

"NANI?!" both Akagi and Mitsui exclaimed at the same time.

"Ooohh…" the guntai were all rubbing their palms together. "That is much more interesting…"

The bell signaling the end of their lunch break rang at that moment. 

"Gambatte to the both of you…Ja ne! NYAHAHAHA!" Sakuragi started walking away.

"Mate yo! What if I get a lower score? I'm not gonna get the two of them together! It's like committing a suicide!"

"SAKURAGI! THIS ISN'T A BET! I DON'T BET!"

"Well, I don't think it's official yet," Kogure mused, walking towards them. He smiled at the two fuming boys. "Give me your hands." The bespectacled boy took hold of each arm and brought the two palms together. "There. Now, it's officially a bet."

"NANI?!" Both Mitsui and Akagi snatched their hands back. 

"Right on, Kogure-sempai!" Suichiro laughed, patting the older boy's back before heading for the stairs. The first period bell was already ringing.

"KOGURE!" Akagi now turned his wrath to the vice-captain.

"A bet is a bet, Gori," Yohei butted in. "It's sorta like a promise. Once you break it, you'll lose your good image. And everyone heard about the bet…" He looked around, letting his sentence trail off.

Almost everyone was out of their classrooms and was watching the scene.

"Nani…" Akagi raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, break it up people! Go back to your classes!" a teacher called out. The crowd slowly dispersed. "That includes you, Mitsui Hisashi! Your classroom's over here."

"I don't care about anybody's image!" Mitsui muttered, walking back to his classroom. "I am NOT involving myself with those two!"

Akagi turned back to his classmate. "Kogure…" His voice was icy.

"Maa, maa, Akagi," Kogure sweatdropped, slowly backing towards his seat inside the room. "I--it's only a date…I think Ayako should give Miyagi a chance, ne? Besides, you're good at Chemistry…you always get the highest scores…"

"That's not the point. I DON'T BET!"

"Akagi Takenori, take your seat! We are about to begin the test," the short, fat teacher looked at him sternly.

Akagi finally sat down and took the paper passed to him. He took out his pencil and started reading the first question.

'True or False. The simplest group of hydrocarbons consists of the alkynes, which is characterized by a carbon to carbon triple bond.'

"What the…" Akagi's eyes bulged. He raised his hand and the teacher nodded. "Sumimasen, sensei. This is Organic Chemistry, Chapter Twenty-Three."

"So it is."

"Today's test was supposed to be on Chapter Nineteen: Stoichiometry. We haven't discussed Organic Chemistry yet."

"I'm afraid you did not get it correctly. I told the class to do an advance reading because there will be an exam about it."

Akagi's brows furrowed. "But you specifically said Chapter Nineteen."

"No, I specifically **_mentioned_** Chapter Nineteen. I said we're going to leave Chapter Nineteen for your Finals. This test was on Chapter Twenty-three." 

Akagi clenched his fists. _Nani…_

"Is there anything wrong, Akagi?" the teacher finally noticed Akagi's frown.

"Iie. Daijobou, sensei." 

He sat down and closed his eyes for a while. _Doijobou, Akagi…Relax…You can do this…You've read this chapter before for advance reading…all you have to do is remember it…_

He opened his eyes and wrote 'False' on the first blank. _See…it's all coming back now…I am NOT failing this test!_

He was on his eleventh question when a knock came at their door. 

"Excuse Akagi Takenori for a moment!" 

Akagi looked up. _What now?!_

Their teacher was trying to hold back a thin, small man whom Akagi recognized as one of Rukawa's professors. "Mate, Hosokawa-sensei! We're in the middle of a test!"

"I'm gonna loose my mind if that Rukawa doesn't wake up in my class sometime soon!" he managed to throw his heavier colleague back and stomped right in front of Akagi's desk. "You're his captain right? Well, if you don't make him stay awake for the rest of my time I'll personally make sure he gets banned from the basketball team!"

"But I'm in the middle of an exa--"

"IF YOU DON'T COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW HE'LL NEVER PLAY FOR SHOHOKU THIS YEAR!"

"Akagi, go with him already! He's disturbing our test!" the girl next to him pleaded. Everyone else was either scouting for answers or glaring at him.

"Fine!" Akagi slammed his pencil down and handed his paper to his professor. "I'll finish it when I come back."

It took twenty or so minutes to get the slumbering fox up. Getting Rukawa's eyes open was fairly easy. It was getting those eyes to stay open for more than two seconds that was tricky. When he finally got Rukawa awake for more than a minute, Akagi rushed back to his room to finish his paper. He sat down in a huff and started scribbling wildly. He was halfway through when the bell rang.

****

"NANI?!" 

"Okay at the count of three…" Kogure said. "One…Two…Three!"

The two pushed their papers on top of each other's noses. 

"C plus."

"C."

"NANI?" both exclaimed at the same time.

"I can't believe it!" Mitsui was now holding his paper as if it was some kind of important, life-saving document. "I actually scored higher than Akagi!"

// end of flashback //

__

No, it's not my fault. Dark clouds were brewing over Akagi's head at the memory of that day. _If it wasn't for that darn Rukawa, I could have passed that test even if I didn't study the chapter! If it weren't for Kogure, the bet wouldn't be real! If it weren't for Sakuragi, there wouldn't **be**_ _any bets! If it weren't for that Mitsui, Sakuragi couldn't have thought of doing that bet! **DAMN THEM ALL!!**_

He started venting out his anger at the transistor radio sitting on top of his opened Chemistry textbook. He gripped it so tightly it was about to crumble when it suddenly talked.

"Akagi, can you hear me? I found them. They're at the movies."

It was Mitsui. 

"YATTA!" Akagi exclaimed, forgetting where he was. 

The old librarian narrowed her eyes at him. But Akagi didn't even notice.

"Watch them carefully, Mitsui. Don't loose them again! Miyagi's in his oblivious-to-everyone-but-Ayako state and disaster is bound to happen if we don't stop it in time." Akagi finally noticed Mitsui's silence. "Hello? Mitsui?" All his "What if's" earlier suddenly came flodding Akagi's head. "MITSUI? MITSUI! DOSHITA NO, MITSUI?! MITSUI! MITSUI!"

"Urusai, Akagi! You're blowing my cover!"

Akagi let out a breath of relief. He finally noticed the librarian, who has always been friendly to him, now stalking her way towards him. Akagi quickly stuffed the radio inside his bag, along with his books.

"Akagi-san…" the old woman approached him, her voice high-pitched. "I never thought I'd say this to you but…" she shook her head remorsefully. "I'm kicking you out of this library. You are banned from coming here for the rest of the day. You can bring your books and your phone someplace else."

"Wakarimashita, Nakamura-sensei," he stood up and bowed apologetically. "It won't happen again."

With a nod, the librarian went back to the front desk. Akagi sighed and picked up his bag. He was near the door when Mitsui's voice rang out again.

"That's it, Akagi! I am NOT gonna stand and watch the two of them embarrass our team! Over and OUT!"

"NANI?! MITSUI?! MITSUI!" Akagi was fumbling in his bag for the communication device but stopped when the irate librarian opened the door for him. 

"Hontoni gomen nasai!" he bowed one last time before the door was violently shut in his face.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Please review!!!


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